Tents Tentmaking Part Deux

[Straycat]

The pavilion we made is complete and performed admirably at our camping event in Shelby, MT.

Shortly after it was put up, a front moved in and we had heavy winds for over 24 hours. I mean, it was roaring and parts of trees came down! But the pavilion never faltered. While the wind sounded like a freight train outside sometimes, we would step inside the tent and could barely hear the wind at all. There was some faint creaking of wood with the heavier gusts, kind of like being onboard an old ship at sea. A few days later when it became cold and rainy (down in the 40s), we were quite dry and comfortable inside.

 

[Straycat]

Looking inside -

The first photo is the center post and spokes that hold the tent up. We put a ring of 30-hour liquid parafin candles on top of that round hub. They created an amazing amount of light and warmth.

The second photo is our bed with canopy and curtains. The opening to the left is a back door identical to the front. Both can be laced closed from the bottom up or from the top down. This one has been laced from the bottom up to leave a window for ventilation, yet preserve privacy.

 

[Freeholder]

WAY cool! What's the tent diameter? And how much canvas (and what kind) did you use?

Kathleen

 

[Straycat]

It's roughly 16-17 feet in diameter at ground level. There are 12 panels around, each measuring 44 inches at the top of the wall.

I would guesstimate that we used about 50-60 yards of canvas. We bought a 100-ft roll and have quite a bit left.